Big punch, big heart for Pacquiao

By Al S. Mendoza

 

NOT only does Manny Pacquiao have a big punch but also a big heart as well.

His right hook, if not his left straight, can send a foe immediately to dream land.

That has been proven nearly 40 times in the lefty’s 63 fights since he turned pro in 1996.

In his 56 wins, 38 came by way of knockout.

Thus, to repeat:  His big punch has become legend.

Include the fame of his big heart.

That is why when reports came out that Pacquiao has a 200-plus entourage for the Nov. 23 Macau fight against Chris Algieri of New York, I was not surprised one bit.

Already, Pacquiao has chartered two jet planes for his friends, supporters and relatives.

If plans won’t go awry, they fly to Macau tomorrow (Nov. 17) to give Pacquiao at least a week to acclimatize with the nippy weather as Macau is now on the verge of a brutal winter.

And don’t be shocked that everybody going with him in those two jets will have free plane tickets as well complimentary tickets to the fight.

Only Pacquiao in the entire history of boxing does such generosity.

As a friend of mine keeps telling me, “Pacquiao will give his last peso to anyone wishing to have it.”

Do you know that, reportedly, in his 200-plus entourage are some 100 congressmen and 6 senators?

But Pacquiao will not mind it at all.

“He is happiest when he sees his friends happy,” my friend said of Pacquiao.

You may not have realized it yet, perhaps, but many boxers that he had fought feel grateful to Pacquiao—eternally.

For, before they fought Pacquiao—and that included Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley, David Diaz and Antonio Margarito, to name but a few—they were but mere faces in the crowd, almost unnoticed.

Although they all lost, they became famous afterwards as the chance to fight a legend like Pacquiao boosted their stock in the beak-busting business.

But the biggest bonus for them was, after fighting Pacquiao, they were all laughing on their way to the bank.

Reason?  Each of them got the fattest paycheck in their prizefighting career.

Algieri willl not be an exception.

Before Bob Arum chose him to face Pacquiao, Algieri was as unknown as the guy seated next to you in a rickety joint in Tondaligan—even as the New Yorker is the unbeaten (20-0) world champ in the WBO light welterweight division.

But do you know that his $2-million plus purse in his bout against Pacquiao is his biggest ever, not to mention that he is now a virtual star as to even merit a surprise visit in the gym from Hollywood hotshot Sylvester Stallone?

Now, if Algieri should lose—by knockout as many predict, and that includes me—he’d still be grateful, I guess.

Always, fighting Pacquiao, win or lose, is every boxer’s chance of a lifetime.

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